Applying for Italian Citizenship from the United States is by itself a complex process requiring various documents, applications and proofs to be presented and fees to be paid. One of the documents in the requirements list is Criminal background check.
Unlike many other countries, Italy will require FBI (National) background check as well a state level check from each and every state of known residency. However, they do not stop there. All of the document must bear an apostille and have to be translated into Italian.
What makes the matters worse is the current closure of many State and Federal government offices stretching the process from a few weeks into months and months of processing.